


Where I Go (When I Go There)

by opheliasashes



Series: A Handful of Shadows [4]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: F/M, Touch, bonus points to anyone who can guess what the title is a reference to, lingfanweek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-14
Updated: 2017-07-14
Packaged: 2018-12-02 00:20:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11497851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/opheliasashes/pseuds/opheliasashes
Summary: Lingfan Week 2017Day Five: Touch“Can you feel that?”This is new. He’s never done this before.





	Where I Go (When I Go There)

Night does not fall quietly for Lan Fan. She hasn’t slept soundly since she was a child; her years of training have caused her to become alert at the slightest of sounds. Every bird call or creaking board has her sitting upright in a cold sweat, hands in a defensive position. Since he took the throne five years ago, there have been a grand total of four attempts on the Emperor’s life. Most in the court consider this to be a testament to the skill of the Emperor’s guard and security network to keep the number so low. 

For Lan Fan, it is four times too many. 

She sits up in a start, silk sheets throne forward and the knife that is conveniently situated out from under her pillow drawn. She is able to pinpoint the source of the noise quite quickly. A sparrow tapping at the window pane. It is nothing. 

“What’s wrong?” The body beside her stirs. He brushes his bangs from his face as he rubs sleep from his eyes. For a moment, in the low light, he looks like a child again. The corner of her mouth turns up in a smile

“Nothing. Go back to sleep.” 

“Chasing ghosts and shadows again?” He chuckles and reaches his arm out to snag around her waist, pulling her closer. 

“That’s where your enemies will be hiding.” 

“Now who would be so awful as to attack me when they can clearly see I’m in bed with a beautiful woman?” It’s a joke and she knows it, but that doesn’t mean she finds it funny.  
“Your personal safety is not a joke my lord.” He nuzzles against her shoulder, pressing kisses for a bit until she finally relents and allows herself to fall into him. 

“Heaven help the poor bastards who make the mistake of crossing you. If you’re this grumpy with me I can’t imagine the hell you put them through.” 

“I take my job very seriously.” 

“Oh I know. That’s why you’re in bed with the Emperor right?” That earns him an elbow to the side, and honestly he knows he deserves it. 

“I’d be more than happy to leave and go to my own bed.” 

“No you wouldn’t. Your feet would be cold and you’d be worried about me being pecked to death in my sleep by a sparrow.” She doesn’t disagree, and leans against his chest. He falls back against the mattress and runs a hand through her hair.

“Besides, this is basically your bed as much as it is mine now.” She turns her head up to meet his eyes. 

“I’m not here that often.” Her voice is soft and they both know what she’s trying to say is “I’d rather be here far more than I am able.” 

“That’s true. But I miss you when you’re not here. I have trouble sleeping.” Lan Fan laughs at the last few words.

“Oh please. We both know you’re so exhausted after a full day of work you fall asleep as soon as you get to bed.” 

“Hey! You of all people should know I can do plenty before I fall asleep, I just choose not to when you’re not here.” 

“I am honoured you force yourself to stay awake for my sake your Eminence.” Her tone is tongue and cheek but she kisses him sweetly all the same. Ling holds her in the kiss and before he quite realizes what’s going on, he’s drowning in her. 

Lan Fan deepens the kiss and for once she’s feeling instead of thinking. His fingers curling around her hips, his lips pressing upon hers, things she’d dreamt about as a young girl for so long that now, even after having them for so long, she still got a jolt of surprise and delight in her belly every time they happened. 

She feels his lips pull away from hers, but before she can protest, his lips are at her neck, kissing down to her collar bone. She thinks she knows where this is going. Until she doesn’t. His lips press against the automail surgery scar on her left shoulder. 

It doesn’t make her uncomfortable per say. She isn’t ashamed of her automail and her scars, never has been. She wears it with the same pride she would wear a medal for service to her country and her people. That being said, it also brings memories of sewer stink and low lights. Of thinking she was going to die alone in filth. 

“I don’t know if I…Have I ever told you how much your sacrifice means to me?” His voice is soft, his lips just a hairs distance from her skin. 

“You don’t need to. It is an honour to serve in your guard and to do the duty I was born for.” 

He doesn’t respond. He knows anything else will insinuate a conversation too deep and strenuous for him to handle in the early hours of the morning. He is exhausted and so is she and they’ve had this conversation before. It circles them incessantly and he supposes it always will. So instead of speaking, he chooses to press his lips against the cool metal of her shoulder blades. 

“Can you feel that?” 

This is new. He’s never done this before. 

“What are you doing?” 

“I’m exploring uncharted territory.” His eyes are twinkling and yet there is a seriousness to them. She decides to go out on a limb and take a leap. 

“Not really. I know there is pressure there but it’s fairly numbed.” 

“Can you feel at all with your arm?” He’s pressing kisses in between his words, moving down her arm. 

“Most of it is in my fingers. I almost have feeling there. Watch the elbow blade.” 

“I know, I know. So, do you feel this?” He presses a kiss to her palm. 

“It’s a ghost of a touch. It’s there but it’s also not.” 

“And this?” He kisses the tips of her fingers one by one. 

“Almost. Ling…” His name drips from her lips and suddenly she’s got his full attention. Even now, she doesn’t say it all that often. When she does though, it moves mountains for him. 

“There’s no weight for you to carry here. I’ve told you that before.” She places those same finger under the chin of her prince and draws him to her.

“Besides,” she smirks, “you seem to forget we won that day.” 

“I wouldn’t really call it a total win.” 

“I outwitted Wrath the Furious at the cost of my left arm. Let me have my glory.” 

“Alright, alright I yield my fierce tiger-cat. I won’t question your victory ever again. Although, I did have one last question.” She raises an eyebrow. 

“Can you feel this?” 

And because, at heart, he is still very much her childhood best friend, he runs his tongue down her arm in a way he knows will gross her out and will not be sensual in the slightest. 

“Don’t be disgusting.” There’s no bite to her words and her eyes are twinkling, because secretly she is still very much the same little girl who ran with him through fields to catch bugs and dared each other to poke at frogs. 

“I’m sorry, what was that?” He does it again.

“Enough!” 

She’s laughs as she tries to throw him off her without really trying, and their legs tangle between the sheets. Outside, the sparrow is knocking on the window, but for now neither of them can hear it over the sound of their own joy at simply existing together in the early hours of the morning.

**Author's Note:**

> And Day Five marks to conclusion of my one shot series! Day Six and Seven will be a combo chapter work thats turning out to be a lot longer than I expected! I will be posting the first part either tomorrow or Friday, but because the story is really taking off, I'm not sure when it will end. 
> 
> I'd like to give a big shoutout to InkuisitivSkins, SailingTheOTP, and LunaArcana. It really felt like you guys were with me throughout this entire time and it was so wonderful. Your comments mean the world to me. Thanks for being so supportive and making this event such an amazing experience!


End file.
